Large crowd besiege NIMC office in Ikeja amid COVID-19 restrictions

Large crowds have gathered at the Alausa office of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in Lagos, as the state fights a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The crowd was gathered to meet the two weeks ultimatum given to Nigerians by the Federal Government to register for their National Identification Number (NIN) and avoid SIM deactivation.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has asked the NCC to extend the two-week ultimatum to 10 weeks but the Commission is yet to make a public reversal of its notice as of Monday.

READ: How to retrieve your National Identification Number – NIMC

What you should know

The Lagos state government on Friday announced a partial COVID-19 restrictions.
Although there was no blanket ban on public gatherings of people under 300, a minimum of two meters’ distance between seated or standing guests is required.
Also, the federal government, through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, this month issued a two-week ultimatum to all telecommunications operators in the country to block all Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) without NIN, according to Nairametrics.

READ: NCC suspends sale of new SIM, activation to audit database

In a statement issued by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs, NCC, and seen by Nairametrics, the apex regulator and other sister agencies said they were implementing a framework to ensure compliance.

Highlights of decisions taken for immediate implementation:

Affirmation of the earlier directive to totally suspend the registration of NEW SIMs by all operators.
Operators to require ALL their subscribers to provide valid National Identification Number (NIN) to update SIM registration records.
The submission of NIN by subscribers to take place within two weeks (from today December 16, 2020, and end by 30 December 2020).
After the deadline, ALL SIMs without NINs are to be blocked from the networks.
A Ministerial Task Force comprising the Minister and all the CEOs (among others) as members is to monitor compliance by all networks.
Violations of this directive will be met by stiff sanctions, including the possibility of withdrawal of operating license.

READ: How to link your National Identity Number with your phone number